


Aftermath

by kinneyb



Category: Dear White People (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 09:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinneyb/pseuds/kinneyb
Summary: After Silvio surprises Lionel with a kiss, he ignores him. Lionel doesn't know what to do. Insert Troy.





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first dwp fic and one of my first fics in a long time but i just love lionel and silvio so much i had to write something i'm gonna be so sad if we don't get a s2 i really wanna see them in a relationship but sigh also if u want feel free to follow me on twitter @ mozikeen and tumblr @ theomalias

Silvio hasn't called or texted him since the incident. Lionel has gone by office a few times but he's never there, and it's not like he has a reason to be - with their biggest sponsor gone, the newspaper can't do much.

To be fair, Lionel isn't really familiar with any of this - dating in general, really, but especially gay dating. Not that one heated kiss in the middle of a disaster like last week really equals dating to begin with. 

Troy got bailed out, at least, not that people were really expecting he'd stay in there with his dad's power and money but it was still a relief seeing him back in his dorm again. Every time he saw Troy now, he debated asking for advice.

Really, who could know more about dating than Troy? But each time, he chickened out.

And it's not like Lionel really had any other friends to ask - acquaintances, sure, but not friends.

He thinks back to the kiss a lot, probably too much. It doesn't take him long to piece together potential reasons Silvio might be avoiding him. One, he's not super familiar with kissing and probably sucked, especially being surprised like that.

Two, he didn't kiss back.

Lionel didn't kiss back, and he's still beating himself up over it. Silvio's lips were soft, almost inhumanely so, and his hands were rough against his face. And his scruff tickled in the best way possible. It was everything Lionel had been wanting and when he finally got it he froze like a fucking idiot.

To be fair, the timing was kind of bad. 

But Lionel knows for sure if he got the chance again, he'd totally kiss back.

It's just he's not so sure he'll be getting a second chance.

**

On Monday night, he finally gets up the courage and asks Troy for advice.

Well, he tries, which mostly involves a lot of stuttering and awkward word placement.

"Dude," Troy laughs, patting him on the shoulder. "Just get it out. You know, I'd help you with anything."

And the thing is Lionel knows that's true. Breathing out, he swallows his nerves and just goes for it. "I need dating advice. Kind of. I mean, I'm not dating this person but I, I guess want to be and things are really confusing right now."

Troy quirks a dark eyebrow. "Is this about that guy you kissed the night I was arrested?"

Lionel blinks a few times. "Wait, how do you know about that?"

"Sorry, man," Troy laughs again, a little softer. "Word gets around campus fast."

Lionel isn't really that surprised but he's still disappointed and maybe embarrassed. He's not sure. Sighing, he sits on the edge of Troy's bed. Troy joins him with more of a plop, really, the bed shaking. 

"But promise that's all I know," Troy says, glancing at his face. "So... what's the story there?"

Lionel isn't really sure where to begin. He's not sure when things started to change for them. "That guy is Silvio. Head of the newspaper. Kind of my friend, I think. I don't know. He's always been... nice to me, I guess, but we never really hung out outside of school."

He peers at Troy from out of the corner of his eyes, and he's listening so intently it's almost comical.

Lionel probably would've teased him if he wasn't in such a sour mood. Shrugging, he continues. "He invited me out once, to be fair, but he got held up and we never actually got to hang out. I never considered he liked me like that. Ever."

Stopping, he waits.

"But you like him, right?" Troy finally asks. "That's why you're so torn up over this."

Lionel stares at his feet. "I didn't think I did. Really. But then he kissed me and I - " It's so cliche he almost doesn't want to say it. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he sighs. "I felt sparks." He quickly turns and looks at Troy. "If you start laughing, I'm never talking to you again."

Troy throws his hands up, grinning. "No laughing. Promise."

"But now Silvio is one hundred percent ignoring me."

The grin on Troy's face disappears almost instantly. "That's messed up."

Lionel can't help feeling a little amused. "Really? That coming from you? I've seen you do the same to poor girls before."

Troy doesn't look offended thankfully, just shakes his head. "Nah, man. I never felt sparks with any of them. It's different."

"So..." Lionel flushes a little. "Sparks - that's actually a thing? I'm not an idiot?"

Troy slaps him on the back. "Sparks are a thing," he assures him with an almost devilish grin. Lionel thinks he's been hanging around Coco too much cause that grin is all her. "But they don't happen all the time, which is exactly why you're going to do exactly what I tell you."

Lionel braces himself.

"Text him," he says simply. 

Lionel purses his lips. "That's your big advice?" He was admittedly hoping for something better.

"It is," Troy says with confidence. "If he isn't going to contact you, you have to contact him or nothing will change, Lionel. And from what I've heard, you really want things to change. Just tell him you want to talk - in person."

Lionel nods slowly, already trying to work out what he'll text in his head. "And if he ignores it?"

Troy slaps him on the back again but this time it's softer and his hand lingers, squeezing his shoulder. "Then he's not worth it, Lionel, and you deserve better."  
"Thanks, Troy," Lionel says, smiling for the first time in days. "Really. I'll try it."

**

Lionel stares at his phone for a solid five hours before he finally types out a text and sends it. He immediately tosses his phone out of reach, knowing otherwise he'd continue staring at it until he got a reply, which might be never.

He tries watching something on his laptop but nothing holds his attention for too long.

Finally, after about two hours, he hears a familiar buzzing and scrambles to grab his phone.

The text he received is simple, just like Troy's advice had been. 

'I'm coming over.'

Lionel debates texting back but eventually decides against it. He sits on his bed, waiting. It feels like an eternity before he finally hears a knock at his door. He crawls out of bed and walks to the door, taking a deep breath.

Then he quickly yanks the door open before he can talk himself out of it, which he could. 

Very easily.

Not because he doesn't want to see Silvio (oh, he wants to see him _bad_ ) but because he's scared and embarrassed and nervous. And when he sees Silvio standing there in a stupid leather jacket and boots, he's also just as giddy and excited. He's everything.

Silvio cracks a smile but it's nervous, on edge.

"Uh," Lionel quickly steps out of the way, gesturing wildly. "Come in."

Silvio does just that, and with a confidence Lionel could only dream of plops on his bed, shrugging his leather jacket off in one quick movement. Something about it is really sexy, but of course Lionel keeps his mouth firmly shut.

He closes the door and lingers near it. "So."

Silvio looks up, giving a sad excuse of a smirk. "You can sit. This is your room, remember?"

It's his usual snark but it doesn't sound the same, not really.

Lionel nods tightly, carefully sitting on the edge of his bed. "So," he says again.

"So what?" Silvio glances at him, and for the first time Lionel feels like he's really seeing him, which he's pretty sure is also cliche sounding as fuck but it's true. His dark eyelashes, for example, are new to Lionel. And also kind of ridiculously alluring. He swallows the lump in his throat. "I kissed you. It's not a secret. Or something we can play off as a mistake. Not that I ever would."

If he's nervous, he's doing a good job of hiding it now, speaking in his usual steady voice, all business. But it's not - kissing people isn't business, at least not for most people. 

"But did you like," Lionel pauses, thinks carefully, "regret doing it?"

Silvio's next smile is all real. He scoots a little closer, and Lionel can feel heat radiating off him in waves. It's amazing and overwhelming, just like everything is with Silvio. "That depends," he says finally. "Do you regret me doing it?"

Lionel pretends to think on it when really he already knows the answer. "Fuck no."

He's no idiot, and his curse gets the intended reaction out of Silvio.

Silvio kisses him with everything he's got, and Lionel realizes that's a lot.

Unlike last time, his breath is minty fresh (Lionel wonders if he brushed his teeth just for this) and he's all confidence. He doesn't push too far, though. He runs his tongue over Lionel's bottom lip and pulls back.

Silvio's face is slightly flushed now, tinged a beautiful shade of pink, and Lionel thinks he's gorgeous.

Of course he doesn't say that. He doesn't ever say stuff like that. 

But he wishes he did.

"Is this just a thing now?" he asks instead, voice thankfully not trembling. "I say fuck and you kiss me?"

Silvio slowly licks his lips, and fuck Lionel really can't believe he's just now noticing how gorgeous he is. He always knew, sure, but in that 'hey that guy's attractive, he could get just about anyone he wanted and I'm jealous' way, not the 'hey I think I kind of want to ride that guy' way.

"To be fair," Silvio finally says, "I'd probably kiss you if you said shit, too."

Lionel can't help grinning. 

When Silvio grins back, Lionel is the happiest he's been in over a week. But then his smile is gone almost instantly. "Lionel, I got to be honest with you. I don't - I'm not..." He's not sure he's ever seen Silvio at a lost for words before and it's a little endearing. "I'm not the dating type. I mean, I'm not against it, it just never happens for me."

He's pretty sure his dejection is clear as day on his face. "Oh."

"But," Silvio quickly continues, "I'd really like to try." A beat later, he adds, "with you."

Lionel doesn't hide his smile. "Say it."

Silvio looks confused for an entire two seconds before his signature smirk is back in place. "Fuck."

He kisses Silvio. He's pretty sure his kissing skills are way below Silvio's (actually he's positive) but Silvio does make a nice little humming sound and Lionel takes that as a plus. When he pulls back, he's the happiest he's been in months.

"So," Silvio nudges him, "I take that as a yes? You want to try this?"

"Yes," Lionel nudges him back. "I definitely want to try this."


End file.
